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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE D. SHARP, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

BILLIARD-TABLE CUSHION.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.'26,128, dated November15 1859' Reissued AV ril s, 1873, No. 5,349.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. SHARP, of the city of New York, in thecounty and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Constructing Cushions for Billiard-Tables; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings and to the lettersof reference marked thereon, like references always denoting the samepart in all the figures.

Figure 1, is a broken or sectional View of the cushion as I make it.Fig. 2, is a sectional view of cushions as most generally used.

The nature of my invention consists of forming the cushion-bed of someelastic material (preferring india rubber or gum elastic) substantiallyas shown in Fig. 1, thus presenting to the ball, a surface which isnearly square or perpendicular, instead of a different angle, while thepeculiar form of the hollow corresponds, substantially, with theexterior form, so that while the material is even in thickness andallows a more delicate impress or impingement of the ball in playing,there is great economy in constructing the cushion; the thus constructedcushion has greater power as a spring than those in common use; thus theblow will be more effective when the ball strikes the cushion,especially in carroming, as it presents to the ball a superior shelvingor vanishing point of surface.

To enable others skilled in the art, to make and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A A in Figs. 1 and 2 represent the tablebed; B the cushion rail; C thesoft wood foundation, or lining of t-he cushion; D the india rubbercushion-bed; E in Fig. 1 constructed after my method is a cavityextending throughout the length of the cushion-bed; and F F in eachligure respectively, the facing formed of india rubber, of hardermanufacture or greater density, the whole to be covered, as usual, withmuslin and line woolen cloth.

By this combined construction will be secured greater elasticity to thecushion than has ever before been attained; for the reason that theelastic property of the india rubber cushion-bed throughout will all bebrought to bear upon the spot where the ball strikes or impinges;whereas in the common or usual form, the upper edge of the cushion alonecomes in contact with the ball and acts; the elastic property of all therubber below the point G (Fig. 2) being entirely lost. The ball strikingthe upper part of the upper bevel, in Fig. 1, meets with a sufcientresistance to prevent it from jumping, but the lower part of the saidbevel, not offering the same resistance, at the time the ball impinges,causes the spring produced by means of the cavity, to immediately act,and cause the ball to rebound with the full force of the elasticproperty contained in the cushion-bed, from the upper part thereof toits base. A less quantity of rubber will be used, and there will be aconsequent saving in the expense of manufacture.

I do not claim as my invention the principle of making the cushion-bedhollow, or of making the face square or nearly so, and

shallow or small, severally; each separate principle having beenheretofore adopted in the round or tubular cushions, and open cushions,respectively, but

That I do claim, as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patentis- The combination of the hollow cushion with a square or slightlybeveled face, for the ball to iinpinge against, thus producing a springof greater ductility than other billiard table cushions have.

Signed on the twenty-sixth July 1859.

GEORGE D. SHARP.

Witnesses:

O. P. JOHNSTON, JOHN HUNT.

